Marina Yashina, the personal trainer of the late 20-year-old Russian short track speed skater Anastasia Sereda, spoke about the circumstances surrounding the athlete’s death. Yashina’s account was quoted by TASS.
According to Yashina, Sereda fell ill about a month earlier and was admitted to a hospital in Ufa due to an infectious disease. The trainer said that everyone hoped for a speedy recovery, but the skater died yesterday. Yashina did not specify the exact diagnosis and noted that Sereda needed to be transported to Saransk for further arrangements, with a funeral planned for the following day. The trainer described the situation as a terrible tragedy and expressed condolences to those affected.
Earlier, the Russian Skating Union reported on Sereda’s death. Anastasia Sereda was recognized as a master of sports in short track speed skating. In competition, she represented St. Petersburg and Mordovia and was among Russia’s top six short track speed skaters in 2019.
In 2022, Sereda was part of a relay team that won the Russian Cup.
Two youth team hockey players were reported to have died in a separate accident in prior coverage.